Self-Gelling Powdered Hydrogel Dressing Based on Dynamic Ion-Cross-Linked Natural Polypeptides for Shape-Adaptive Hemostasis and Accelerated Wound Healing

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Abstract
Effective hemorrhage control and wound closure are frequently compromised by the poor shape adaptability of preformed bulk hydrogel dressings, which fail to maintain intimate contact with irregular, bleeding tissue. To address this, we developed a freeze-dried polyelectrolyte complex powder (GLF-K) composed of dopamine-grafted γ-poly-l-glutamic acid, ε-poly-l-lysine, keratin, and iron ions. The network architecture relies on primary electrostatic cross-linking, synergistically reinforced by dopamine-Fe3+ coordination, which enables the GLF-K powder to rapidly rehydrate and transition into a cohesive hydrogel upon exposure to moisture. Compared to commercial chitosan hemostats, the GLF-K powder exhibited comparable or enhanced hemostatic efficacy in both in vitro and in vivo hemorrhage models, alongside excellent biocompatibility. More importantly, in a full-thickness skin defect model, GLF-K treatment accelerated the early-stage healing rate to 55.8% by day 3, significantly outperforming the control group. These findings suggest that GLF-K powder represents a promising integrated platform for managing acute hemorrhage and promoting expedited wound healing in irregular tissue defects.
Funding Information
  • Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (H2024405016)
  • Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (JYB2025XDXM401)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (52503260)
  • State Key Laboratory of Advanced Waterproof Materials (SKLAWM-2025YJ02)

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